System For Customizing Lighting and Sound Effects in a Vehicle

ABSTRACT

A vehicle includes a passenger compartment, a touch-screen for receiving an input signal from an occupant when the occupant touches the touch-screen, an output device, and a controller. The controller changes a characteristic of an electromagnetic wave in the form of visible light and/or an audible sound, which is transmitted into the passenger compartment via the output device in response to the input signal. The output device includes light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LED) or electro-luminescent (EL) ribbon and a speaker. The controller presents a predetermined set of lighting and/or sound options on the touch-screen which the occupant can touch to generate the input signal, thus selectively illuminating the light sources or playing a particular sound file. The controller can also play a digital sound file whenever a corresponding vehicle condition is detected.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplications 60/950,509 filed on Jul. 18, 2007 and which is herebyincorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a vehicle having a system forcustomizing lighting and sound effects transmitted within a vehicleinterior or passenger compartment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Because people spend a substantial amount of time in their vehicles,whether commuting to and from work, traveling, or running errands,vehicle interiors or passenger compartments are commonly equipped withvarious features geared toward improving the overall comfort andenjoyment of vehicle occupants. However, other aspects of the drivingexperience, particularly as it relates to the synchronization and/orcustomization of lighting and sound effects within the passengercompartment, remain less than optimal due in part to the limited abilityof an occupant to change these effects to suit his or her own uniquemood, tastes, or preferences.

For example, lighting within a passenger compartment is generallylimited to a fixed incandescent or fluorescent overhead bulb, and/orsimilar peripheral lighting devices positioned on the vehicle doors,handles, mirrors, etc. Instrument panel gauges are illuminated usingsoft ambient or background lighting, which can be selectively dimmed orturned on and off using a standard dimmer switch. Likewise, vehiclesound effects include a fixed tone, such as the typical “dinging” tonethat is transmitted into the passenger compartment whenever a vehicledoor is ajar or when an indicator or warning lamp is illuminated, or the“clicking” of an activated turn signal. However, these options tend tobe standardized across a particular vehicle model or design, andgenerally offer few if any user-friendly customization options to theoccupant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a system is provided for use in a vehicle passengercompartment which allows a passenger or occupant of the vehicle toadjust a characteristic of an electromagnetic or EM wave which istransmitted into the passenger compartment of the vehicle in the form ofeither or both of a visible light wave and an audible sound wave. Theoccupant can associate a particular stored digital sound file and/or aparticular lighting effect with a vehicle condition, such as a detectedobstacle, an ajar door, etc. Likewise, the occupant can select a uniquecolor and/or sound “theme” for transmission into the passengercompartment, regardless of the presence of the associated vehiclecondition. These themes can include any combination of lighting andsound effects to the occupants liking. To enhance the user-friendlinessof the system, a touch-screen or other user-friendly input device isused as an interface, with various icons being presented on thetouch-screen. The occupant can select a particular theme or associationby touching a corresponding icon.

In particular, a vehicle includes a body defining a passengercompartment, a display for receiving an input signal from an occupant ofthe passenger compartment when the occupant touches a touch-screenportion of the display, an output device, and a controller. Thecontroller selectively changes a characteristic of an electromagnetic(EM) wave, such as a visible light wave and/or an audible sound wave,which is transmitted into the passenger compartment via the outputdevice in response to the input signal.

The output device can include light sources, such as but not limited toa light-emitting diode (LED) device and an electro-luminescent (EL)light ribbon, positioned somewhere within the passenger compartment. Inone embodiment, light sources are positioned on opposing sides of acenter console, although other positions or locations within thepassenger compartment are also usable within the scope of the invention.When used to control the lighting effect, the controller presents apredetermined set of lighting options or lighting icons on thetouch-screen portion, which the occupant can touch to thereby generatethe input signal, and in this manner selectively illuminate the lightsources in a particular color or set of colors. The output device canalso include an audio speaker, with the controller presenting apredetermined set of sound options or sound icons on the touch-screenportion which the occupant can touch to generate the input signal, andto thereby associate a predetermined sound file with a correspondingvehicle condition.

A system is also provided for customizing an EM wave which istransmitted by an output device within a passenger compartment of avehicle. The system includes a touch-screen display positioned withinthe passenger compartment and operable for presenting a set of optionsfor changing a characteristic of the EM wave, and for generating inputsignals activating the output device when an occupant of the passengercompartment touches an option on the touch-screen display. A controllerprocesses the input signals to thereby change the characteristic of theEM wave.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a vehicle having a lighting andsound customization system in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a customization system usable withthe vehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a schematic illustration of a first embodiment of the systemof FIG. 2;

FIG. 3B is a schematic illustration of a second embodiment of the systemof FIG. 2;

FIG. 3C is a schematic illustration of a third embodiment of the systemof FIG. 2; and

FIG. 3D is a schematic illustration of a fourth embodiment of the systemof FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numbers represent likecomponents throughout the several figures, and beginning with FIG. 1, avehicle 10 includes a vehicle body 14 at least partially defining avehicle interior or a passenger compartment 18. The vehicle 10 includespassenger seats 22 mounted to the floor 26 of the body 14 within thepassenger compartment 18. The seats 22 face an instrument panel 30mounted with respect to the vehicle body 14 within the passengercompartment 18. A center console 34 is mounted with respect to thevehicle body 14 and is disposed within the passenger compartment 18,with the center console 34 positioned adjacent to the instrument panel30 and extending between two of the passenger seats 22.

A lighting and sound customization system 20, referred to hereinafter asthe system 20 for simplicity, is connected to or formed integrally withthe center console 34 or another convenient location within thepassenger compartment 18. The system 20 includes a display 38 that ismounted to or within the console 34 such that the display 38 is visibleand readily accessible to an occupant 24 of the passenger compartment18. A transmission gear selector 42 can also be mounted to the console34, with the selector 42 being selectively movable by the occupant 24 inorder to select the operating mode, gear setting, or state of a vehicletransmission (not shown).

The vehicle 10 includes a plurality of output devices 11, shown as theoutput devices 11A and 11B in FIG. 2, for emitting or transmitting adesired electromagnetic (EM) wave of a desired characteristic, such aswavelength, frequency, amplitude, etc., into the passenger compartment18. The output devices 11 can include the output device 11B of FIG. 2,which is configured as an audio speaker 54 positioned adjacent to or onthe console 34 or at any other suitable position or location within thepassenger compartment 18. The speaker 54 is configured to selectivelytransmit an EM wave in the form of human-audible sound, i.e., soundwaves having a frequency of approximately 20 to 20,000 Hertz (Hz).

The output devices 11 can also include the output devices 11A (see FIG.2), such as light sources 46 a and 46 b each positioned on oppositesides of the console 34 and configured to selectively transmit an EMwave in the form of visible light, i.e., an EM wave having a wavelengthof approximately 400 to 700 nanometers (nm). In an exemplary embodiment,the light sources 46A, 46B are configured as acrylic light pipes of thetype known in the art, and therefore are configured for transmittingvisible light from one or more RGB light-emitting diodes (LED). However,other embodiments of the light sources 46A, 46B may be used within thescope of the invention, such as electro-luminescent (EL) ribbon oranother lighting source operable for transmitting a uniform and/orcontinuous lighting effect.

A plurality of LED indicators 50 are mounted with respect to the console34 below the display 38. Each LED indicator 50 is configured to displayinformation regarding the status of various systems of the vehicle 10.In an exemplary embodiment, one of the indicators 50 indicates the speedof a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) fan, whileanother indicator 50 indicates the desired or existing temperature onthe passenger side 27 of the vehicle 10, and another indicator 50indicates the desired or existing temperature of the driver side 28 ofthe vehicle 10. In addition to light, the indicators 50 may also orseparately employ icons, symbols, alphanumeric characters, etc., inorder to convey specific information about the various systems.

Referring to FIG. 2, an electronic control unit or controller 58 isoperatively connected to each of the display 38, the light sources 46A,46B, the indicators 50, and the speaker 54. The controller 58 can beconfigured as a general-purpose digital computer device generallycomprising a microprocessor or a central processing unit, read-onlymemory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrically programmableread-only memory (EPROM), a high speed clock, analog-to-digital (A/D)and digital-to-analog (D/A) circuitry, and any input/output circuitryand devices (I/O) and/or appropriate signal conditioning and buffercircuitry of a known type. The controller 58 has a set of controlalgorithms (not shown) comprising resident program instructions andcalibrations stored by or in the controller 58 and executed thereby toprovide the functionality described below.

The display 38 functions as an interface between an occupant 24 (seeFIG. 1) of the passenger compartment 18 and the controller 58. Thedisplay 38 also functions as an output device by displaying visualinformation provided or relayed from the controller 58. Likewise, thedisplay 38 functions as an input device, as an occupant 24 of thepassenger compartment 18 can input information into the controller 58 bytouching a touch-screen portion 62 of the display 38, as will beunderstood by those of ordinary skill in the art.

The controller 58 is programmed and/or configured to control the display38. During operation of the system 20 of FIG. 1, the controller 58causes the display 38 to present a plurality of icons 66A-D on thescreen portion 62. The icons 66A-D are shown against a “background” 70on the screen portion 62. The icons 66A-D are distinguishable from thebackground 70 because the icons 66A-D are presented or displayed in adifferent color than that of the background 70. The icons 66A-D can betouched by an occupant 24 (see FIG. 1) of the passenger compartment 18(see FIG. 1) in order to choose or select a particular vehicle functionwhich the occupant 24 desired to control via the screen portion 62.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the controller 58 is configured toselectively control the output devices 11A and/or 11B, such as the lightsources 46A, 46B and/or the speaker 54, respectively, to transmit adesired EM wave, i.e., visible light and audible sound, into thepassenger compartment 18. More specifically, the controller 58 controlsthe color or colors which are transmitted by the light sources 46A, 46Band the sounds which are transmitted by the speaker 54. The controller58 further controls the indicators 50, and more particularly controlsthe various colors or information transmitted by the indicators 50. Inthis manner, the controller 58 is able to provide customizable lightingand sound within the vehicle 10 of FIG. 1. That is, the controller 58can selectively alter the colors transmitted from any or all of thescreen portion 62, the light sources 46A, 46B, and the indicators 50 inresponse to a request or command which is transmitted via signalsentered by the occupant 24 when touching the touch-screen portion of thedisplay 38. Thus, the ambience of the passenger compartment 18 isreadily customizable by an occupant 24 of FIG. 1 to suit his or her owntastes and preferences.

For example, within the scope of the invention predetermined themes orpreset motifs may be quickly modified by an occupant 24 via the display38. In one embodiment, when a first predetermined theme is selected, thecontroller 58 may cause the icons 66A-D, the segments 70A-C of the lightsource 46A, the segments 74A-C of the light source 46B, and indicators50 to appear in a first shade, such as a particular shade of blue, andthe background 70, segments 70D-E of the light source 46A, and segments74D-E of the light source 46B to appear in a second shade, such as acomplimentary shade of green. Likewise, when a second predeterminedtheme is selected, the controller 58 may cause the icons 66A-D, thesegments 70A-C, the segments 74A-C, and the indicators 50 to appear in athird shade such as red, and the background 70, the segments 70D-E, andthe segments 74D-E to appear in a fourth shade, such as a complimentaryshade of blue. However, other shades and/or colors may be envisionedwithin the scope of the invention.

The controller 58 may also be configured to selectively change or modifythe color and/or intensity of the light being transmitted from otherlight sources 78 on or within the vehicle 10, such as any light sourcesadjacent to an exterior door handle (not shown) or other exteriorlighting configured to transmit light at or along the exterior of thevehicle 10 of FIG. 1, and/or any overhead lights inside the passengercompartment 18 of FIG. 1, etc. The other light sources 78 may becontrolled in accordance with the predetermined themes described above.

The controller 58 is also configured to provide customizable sound,which can be associated with a particular vehicle condition using thedisplay 38 as described below. The vehicle 10 includes a plurality ofsensors 86, each being configured to monitor and/or detect at least onevehicle condition and to transmit signals indicative of the condition tothe controller 58. The controller 58 stores in a data storage medium 82a plurality of digital sound files 82A-E. The controller 58 isconfigured to cause the speaker 54 to transmit a particular sound orcombination of sounds in accordance with a selected one of the digitalsound files 82A-E whenever a sensor 86 indicates to the controller 58that a particular predetermined vehicle condition is present. Thecontroller 58 can also synchronize lighting and sound effects byselectively illuminating the light sources 78, 46A, and/or 46B in aparticular color, such as flashing red, in conjunction with playing oneof the digital sound files 82A-E being transmitted by the speaker 54, inorder to further alert the occupant 24 to the presence of the vehiclecondition.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3A together, the controller 58 may beconfigured to cause the speaker 54 to generate EM waves in the form ofsound waves in accordance with digital sound file 82B whenever thesensors 86 indicate that a first predetermined condition is present,such as one or more vehicle doors 90A-D being in an open or ajarposition. For example, an occupant 24 can request that a digital filestating a recorded sentence such as “the door is ajar” or “close thedoor”, or alternately play a sound effect such as the sound of rushingwind or a particular music clip to uniquely indicate that the door isopen.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3B, the controller 58 may be configured tocause the speaker 54 to generate sound waves in accordance with digitalsound file 82C when sensors indicate that a second predeterminedcondition is present, such as the position of one of the seats 22 isbeing adjusted, such as by using an adjustment panel 25. For example, anoccupant 24 can request that a digital file stating a recorded sentencesuch as “seat is now moving forward”, or alternately a sound effect or aparticular music clip to uniquely indicate that the seat is beingadjusted.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3C, the controller 58 may be configured tocause the speaker 54 to generate sound waves in accordance with digitalsound file 82D when sensors indicate that a third predeterminedcondition is present, such as an object 94 positioned on the roof of thevehicle 10 is higher than an obstruction such as the door 98 of a garage102. For example, the controller 58 might play a sound file of arecorded sentence stating “warning: object on roof”, or a particularmusic clip or sound effect uniquely indicating an impending collision.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3D, the controller 58 may be configured tocause the speaker 54 to generate sound waves in accordance with digitalsound file 82E when sensors indicate that a fourth predeterminedcondition is present, such as that a turn signal indicator is presentlyactivated. For example, the controller 58 might play a recorded sentencestating “turning left”, or a music clip or sound effect uniquelyindicating such a maneuver, rather than the ubiquitous “clicking” soundtransmitted by most turn signals. While FIGS. 3A-D present four possibleembodiments, there are countless possible sound effects one couldassociate with any given vehicle system, and therefore the scope of theinvention is not intended to be limited to the four exemplaryembodiments of FIGS. 3A-D.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the controller 58 is configured such that adigital sound file associated with any one of the predeterminedconditions exemplified in FIGS. 3A-D is selectively variable by anoccupant 24 (see FIG. 1) via the touch-screen display 38. Thus, forexample, an occupant 24 of FIG. 1 can request that the controller 58reproduce the sound from any one of the stored files 82A-E for any ofthe predetermined vehicle conditions. Moreover, a data receiver 106 isoperatively connected to the controller 58 to transmit data thereto,including any required or desired digital sound files. The data receiver106 may be a telematics receiver, a cellular telephone receiver, aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port, etc. Accordingly, an occupant 24 (seeFIG. 1) can transmit new digital sound files to the controller 58 andcause the controller 58 to reproduce the sound from one of the new fileswhen one of the predetermined conditions exists.

While the best modes for carrying out the invention have been describedin detail, those familiar with the art to which this invention relateswill recognize various alternative designs and embodiments forpracticing the invention within the scope of the appended claims.

1. A vehicle comprising: a body defining a passenger compartment; adisplay having a touch-screen portion, the display being configured forgenerating an input signal when an occupant of the passenger compartmenttouches the touch-screen portion; at least one output device operablefor transmitting an electromagnetic (EM) wave into the passengercompartment in response to the input signal; and a controller operablefor selectively changing a characteristic of the EM wave in response tochanges in the input signal.
 2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the atleast one output device includes a first plurality of light sourcespositioned within the passenger compartment; and wherein the controllerpresents a predetermined set of lighting options via the touch-screenportion which the occupant can touch to thereby cause the display togenerate the input signal.
 3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein the firstplurality of light sources includes at least one of a light-emittingdiode (LED) device and an electro-luminescent (EL) light ribbon.
 4. Thevehicle of claim 3, further comprising a center console mounted withinthe passenger compartment, wherein the first plurality of light sourcesis mounted to opposite sides of the center console.
 5. The vehicle ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one output device includes an audiospeaker positioned within the passenger compartment and configured fortransmitting the EM wave by playing a predetermined sound file inresponse to the input signal.
 6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein thecontroller presents a set of icons on the touch-screen portion which theoccupant can touch to generate the input signal; and wherein each iconof the set of icons represents a different association of one of thepredetermined sound files with a corresponding vehicle condition.
 7. Thevehicle of claim 6, wherein the corresponding vehicle condition isselected from the group consisting of: an ajar door condition, anobstacle detection condition, a seat adjustment condition, and a turnsignal condition.
 8. A vehicle comprising: a body defining a passengercompartment; a controller; at least one output device; and an inputdevice through which an occupant of the vehicle can select a customizedelectromagnetic (EM) wave which can be transmitted into the passengercompartment by the at least one output device; wherein the controller isconfigured to cause the at least one output device to transmit thecustomized EM wave into the passenger compartment in response to asignal generated by the input device when the occupant selects thecustomized EM wave.
 9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the at least oneoutput device includes audio speaker, the vehicle further comprising: adata storage medium having a plurality of digital audio files and asensor configured to detect at least one vehicle condition, and totransmit signals indicative of the vehicle condition to the controller;wherein the controller is operable for transmitting the customized EMwave into the passenger compartment through the speaker by playing oneof the digital audio files when the sensor indicates that the vehiclecondition is present.
 10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the at leastone vehicle condition is selected from the group consisting of: an ajardoor condition, an obstacle detection condition, a seat adjustmentcondition, and a turn signal condition.
 11. The vehicle of claim 8,wherein the at least one input device includes a touch-screen and the atleast one output device includes a light source; and wherein thecontroller causes the customized EM wave to be transmitted into thepassenger compartment in the form of a visible light wave when theoccupant touches the touch-screen in a predetermined manner.
 12. Thevehicle of claim 11, wherein the light source is at least one of an LEDdevice and an EL ribbon.
 13. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein thecontroller causes the input device to display a set of icons on thetouch-screen portion, each icon of the set of icons representing adifferent predetermined lighting theme; and wherein each icon can betouched by the occupant to thereby signal the controller to transmit acorresponding one of the visible light waves via the light source. 14.The vehicle of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of indicatorswhich are mounted adjacent to the input device; wherein each one of theplurality of indicators is configured to display information regardingthe status of a different vehicle system.
 15. The vehicle of claim 14,wherein a first one of the plurality of indicators indicates a speed ofa heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) fan, a second one ofthe plurality of LED indicators indicates a temperature on a passengerside of the vehicle 10, and a third one of the plurality of LEDindicators indicates a temperature on a driver side of the vehicle 10.16. A system for customizing an electromagnetic (EM) wave which istransmitted by at least one output device within a passenger compartmentof a vehicle, the system comprising: a display positioned within thepassenger compartment and operable for presenting a set of options forchanging a characteristic of the EM wave, and for generating signalscommanding an activation of the at least one output device when anoccupant of the passenger compartment selects an option from the set ofoptions; and a controller adapted for processing the signals to therebychange the characteristic of the EM wave; wherein the EM wave includesat least one of a visible light wave and an audible sound wave.
 17. Thesystem of claim 16, wherein the at least one output device includes aplurality of light-emitting diode (LED) devices operable fortransmitting the visible light wave, and wherein the set of optionsincludes a plurality of different colors in which the plurality of LEDdevices are illuminated.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein theplurality of LED devices includes an acrylic light pipe.
 19. The systemof claim 17, wherein the plurality of LED devices are mounted adjacentto the display and are configured to display information regarding thestatus of a corresponding vehicle system.
 20. The system of claim 16,further comprising a data storage module containing a plurality ofdigital sound files and a sensor for detecting a predetermined vehiclecondition; wherein the at least one output device includes an audiospeaker operable for transmitting the audible sound wave using one ofthe plurality of digital sound files; and wherein the set of optionsincludes an association of a different one of the digital sound fileswith a corresponding one of the predetermined vehicle conditions. 21.The system of claim 20, wherein the at least one output device furtherincludes a light source operable for transmitting the visible lightwave; and wherein the set of options includes a plurality of differentcolors in which the at least one light source is illuminated when thepredetermined vehicle condition is detected by the sensor.